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By Yuliya Talmazan
LONDON – Prince William, second on the line of arrival of the British throne, enjoyed a brief stint with British security and intelligence agencies last month.
The Duke of Cambridge spent three weeks in contact with the MI5, MI6 and GCHQ agencies, responsible for national and foreign security, to see how they work.
"Spending time in our security and intelligence agencies and understanding more about their vital contribution to national security has been a truly humbling experience," said William in a statement released Saturday by the royal family.
"These agencies are filled with everyday people who do the most extraordinary work to keep us safe.They work in secret, often unable to talk to family and friends about the work they do or the stress that they undergo, "said the royal.
According to the Sunday Telegraph newspaper, this father of three – who had already been trained as a helicopter pilot with the Royal Air Force – had worked with analysts and investigators monitoring Islamist terrorist cells and reportedly worked actively on the terrain as well as in the media. Office.
The prince's mission began a week at MI6, whose agents are responsible for collecting foreign intelligence and conducting operations abroad, the statement said. The agency has been made famous by the series of movies and novels James Bond.
He spent his second week at MI5, the British security and counterintelligence agency.
The duke spent his last mission at government headquarters, the GCHQ, an agency fighting terrorism, organized crime and cyber security.
Officials said the Prince had completed his final day of training at GCHQ on Saturday.
The current terrorist threat in the UK remains "serious" – meaning that an attack is highly likely.
The anti-terrorism operations officer at GCHQ, who has remained anonymous, said the Prince "was working exceptionally hard to integrate with the team and was comfortably sitting among analysts and analysts. highly qualified operators ".
"His Royal Highness asked in-depth questions and demonstrated a real understanding of our mission," they added.
William will travel to New Zealand this month on behalf of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, 92, to pay tribute to the 50 victims of the massive shooting that took place in a mosque two weeks ago .
Associated press contributed.
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